My Heart is Aching....

Yesterday late afternoon, I heard that Christchurch was impacted by a 6.4 earthquake, which would be lunch time over there. In September, that area was hit with a 7.1 earthquake, damage was sustained to homes, buildings and such, but there were no deaths, most likely because of the time the earthquake hit. There have been confirmed deaths with this most recent one and more are missing.

I was worried for my family that is there and was able to reach my cousin via Skype. He showed me his yard and the water that was seeping up to the ground flooding his garden. He was safe, my auntie and other cousins were safe. I have yet to hear from a few others, but I'm hoping and praying they are safe.

As I see pictures and am updated via Twitter and Facebook, my heart sinks to see the destruction of this vibrant, beautiful city. Christchurch is an extremely beautiful city, known for its gardens and it really has one of the most attractive downtown areas and my heart breaks. I had to pull myself away from the updates, I couldn't read any more about the deaths and I couldn't look at anymore pictures of this once beautiful, vibrant city center that is reduced to ruble.

I pray for those who are missing, I pray for the ones who have lost their life and I pray for my family. I desperately want to hug them all, tell them I love them and keep them safe, but being thousand of miles apart it is hard to do, but I'm so thankful for these social network sites. It is my only means of connecting with my loved ones who are so far out of reach. My heart is heavy and I feel at loss for the people of Christchurch. They expect the death count to continue to rise and in the coming days, I hope to get word from the other family members that we have yet to hear from.

The Christchurch Church Cathedral - my trip 2007

The Church after the earthquake - Feb. 2011

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/photos/4688271/Christchurch-aftershock-Feb-22

"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on Earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father,
brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother,
in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow,
To take each moment and live each moment
in peace, eternally.
Let there be Peace on Earth,
and let it begin with me."
Jill Jackson & Sy Miller